The 53rd Hunger Games
by ProjectHG13
Summary: Ok, so this is my first attempt at a story on here and I would really appreciate comments telling me how to improve or to continue the story. Thanks! P.S- I must tell people who already looked at my story, I made some minor changes to chapter 1 for some clarification. Once more chapters are published, I will not change anything.
1. Chapter 1

I had never really thought about the how Hunger Games changes people. To me it was just a simple routine coming around once a year with the same long, drawn out speech by our district escort and the tears of the kids chosen or in the rare case, the wide smile across the face of a volunteer. I have been fortunate enough to never have to put my name in extra times for the scanty bit of bread and oil from the capitol and at this point, reaping day doesn't strike as much fear in me as the other potential tributes. I guess that's one of the perks of living in District 4, plenty of food. Although, I can't help myself with the occasional thought. _What if it's me? _I'm sure everyone feels this way, no matter how much training you put in, there's always the chance the odds won't be in your favor.

I know there's always a possibility of me being reaped, so I train just like everybody else, just as long and just as hard. I am not exactly proud of my skill with these weapons that could potentially take the life of another on my account, but it does provide me with a strange sense of comfort even if I decide not to kill anyone.

"Cora, wake up", I hear my mother whisper as my door creaks open, "It's the last day of training, you don't want to be late and breakfast is on the table."

I finally drag myself out of bed and throw on my black training uniform with its matching boots like I have everyday for years. Here everyone trains for the games, starting when you're 6 up until your 18. I'm 16 now and have learned about all I can from the training center. I walk out to our kitchen and sit down next to my mother at the table and start to munch on some toast. We don't really talk today, which isn't unusual for the day before the reaping. My mother gets understandably nervous this type of year, me being her only child and if I get reaped, her as well as my father's world will come crashing down.

I loose my appetite with this though and kiss my mother goodbye for the day and then quickly run down to my fathers bait shop to do the same.

"Don't push yourself today, Cora." I hear my father say as I'm walking out. I can tell he is also getting nervous about tomorrow and I ponder when my own nerves will set in because as of right now, all I can do is focus on training. No matter what weapon you hand me at the training center, I can hit the center of the target with no problem. I do have an unusual skill of knife throwing and even though I am not particularly proud of it, I can wield a knife better than anyone in my district. During training, they almost become a part of me.

"Cora!" I spin around to find my best friend Scarlett running off the beach towards me with a huge grin on her face.

"What's so funny Scar?"

"Nothing, can't I just be pumped for the last day of training?" She says in her usual sarcastic tone.

"So sure you're gonna be reaped, are you?", I say.

"Not exactly, I just wanna be prepared if I am because dying in the hands of the capitol is not the way I want to go."

I shake my head in agreement and we walk in silence the rest of the way to the training center. She's right, dying for Panem's enjoyment is disgusting and no matter how hard I try I cant respect the Capitol like districts 1 and 2 do. In the case I am reaped, i'm as prepared as I'll ever be physically, but mentally, I don't know how I would handle it. Leaving my family, friends, and thinking about their lives without me are bitter thoughts and it angers me when I think about potentially being face-to-face with people who pretty much want me to die in the most gruesome way possible.

Scarlett and I have always been best friends and if there was anyone close to my skill level in weaponry, it's Scarlett. When we were kids we always talked about volunteering for each other if one of us was reaped and even though we never said it, I think we both outgrew that idea when we were 12 at our first reaping.

We walk into the training center at 9:30 on the dot to find it in full swing. It usually doesn't start until 10:00 but Scarlett and myself are some of the last ones here.

"So i'll see you later then.", Scarlett says as she walks toward the bow and arrows station.

We usually don't train together and without another word I walk over towards the knife station and pick up 5 medium sized throwing knives and place myself 25 yards away from 5 dummies and throw each knife one by one, each finding the chest of all 5 dummies. I do this for about a half an hour, repeating the same thing each time alternating between the head and and the chest of the dummies. I pull myself away from this station knowing that I should work on some of my other skills. I then find myself throwing spears and axes for a majority of my day and finally end with scaling trees and agility courses.

Before I know it, it's time to leave the center for the day and I meet up with Scarlett to go home. Again, we don't talk much,making small talk about our day until she stops me before I enter my house.

"I'll see you tomorrow, _and may the odds be ever in your favor_.", shes says in a perky capitol voice. She can always find a way to brighten my mood as this makes me laugh bringing a small snort which makes us both crack up. She finally grabs me in a tight hug and she begins to her own house. I notice her nerves have shown up and feel some sympathy for her. Her then-older brother, Ryker, died at the hands of a _mutt_ in the Second Quarter Quell in the Gamemakers attempt to cut down the number of tributes. He was _13_. For some reason this thought totally changes my mood, and I can officially admit to myself, I am nervous. I have _everything_ to loose.

The rest of the evening is quiet, despite my parents efforts to make conversation at dinner. I quickly shower and my thoughts roam to the ridiculous capitol showers I have heard so many rumors about. I dry off and put on whatever clothes are at the top of my drawer. It takes me hours to get to sleep, the irresistible thoughts of my name being called by Cecilia Pevensie, our district escort, floating around in my mind until fatigue gets the best of me and I slowly enter my dreamland.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up to my mother shaking me and find her looking at me with a very concerned look on her face. I'm breathing heavy and dripping in sweat and then I realize I must had a horrible nightmare. "You okay?", she says to me. "Yeah ma I'm fine", I whisper back with a heavy breath. I look at my clock to see its barely 3 AM. I look back at her and can see shes not convinced so she scoots me over and climbs into bed with me. The last time she did this was the night before my first reaping when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming at something. She instantly makes me feel safe even though I can't seem to remember what dream I just had that could have had me so nervous that I would be panting and sweating. As I start to calm down I come to believe that shes not just doing this for me, she realizes this may be the last time she gets to do this with her only daughter. Regardless of her motives, I find comfort and eventually shut my eyes and listen to the waves through my open window. I want to remember this moment with my mother. I slowly feel myself drifting back into a slumber.

I wake up again to sun coming in through my window. This time its almost 10:00 so I must have had a somewhat peaceful rest of the night. I get out of bed and walk into the kitchen where my mother has breakfast sitting on the table. She is reading a book and immediately sets it down when she hears me come in. She shifts all her attention towards me and keeps asking me if I want more of this or more of that, not even attempting to hide her nerves. I find this strange, shes usually very mellow, our family's _rock _and I can't stand to see her this way. This is one of the may reasons I don't want to get reaped. I try to make small talk about happy things and stuff that's going on around the district and how me and her should take a trip to the east beach with my father. She gets a little happier when I say this and decides she wants to show me my dress for today. She makes one for me every year as she has found sewing easy with her net weaving all day long at my fathers bait shop. She brings in a beautiful, sleeveless white dress covered in lace with a thin green band around the waist.

I go into my room to finish getting ready and I slip it on my dress and look at myself in the mirror. I really don't recognize the girl who's staring back at me. She has the same long blonde hair as me, the same old green eyes, but this girl is beautiful. I never thought of myself as beautiful and try to be rather modest about my looks, but today I feel as I am. _I look like my mother_. I quickly pin my hair back and some shoes on and walk back to the kitchen. "You look beautiful as always, Cora" I flash a her a smile, blushing no doubt. I glance over at the clock and see it's almost 11:00 and decide I should leave for the town square.

I wrap my arms around my mother and we just stay like this for a minute and then I finally release her. "I love you, mom"

"I love you too.", she says as she kisses my forehead and grabs me for one last hug. Most kids say their goodbyes at home because if your're picked, you get 5 minutes if that with your family before you get on the train.

I walk out the door and head towards my fathers shop down towards the beach. I find him out front painting one of our row boats and hug him from behind. He quickly spins around and returns it. "You look gorgeous Cora! Just like your mother." he shouts with a smile.

"Thanks Dad. I was just heading out to the square and was coming to say- good morning." I catch myself at the end because I almost say goodbye and I know he does't want to hear that. He's different from my mother. Shes accepts the fact that I could be reaped and makes the most of our last un-tampered moments with each other full of hugs and and kisses. Not my father. He ignores the fact that it could happen and decides to treat it like every other morning. I return the favor every time to please him as its his own form of comfort. "I love you, dad", I say as I plant a kiss on his cheek. "Love you too sweetie", he says not looking up from his painting.

I know i have to be at the square soon so I excuse myself and go find Scarlett at her house. She always looks good. Her looks are admired by everyone. She tries to tell me mine are too but I dismiss this every time. She is wearing a tighter light blue dress and has her brow hair flowing over her shoulders. "You look good, Scar", I laugh.

"Thanks!" she says. "Cora I would tell you that you look beautiful as always but you usually shut me down.", she laughs at me. "Not today. I do feel beautiful."

"Finally! Glad to hear you've accepted that everyone swoons all over you, especially the guys", she shouts loud enough for a group of boys from school to hear. I just smile and grab her arm to walk towards the peacekeeper station where we check in. This part seemed so scary when I was 12 when they prick your fingers to take blood. Now this is normalcy to me and my friends. This peacekeeper name is Atticus and has checked me in every year. "Hello Cora", he says politely. He may be a peacekeeper but I have actually grown fond of him over the years, especially since he tries to comfort the nervous 12 year olds. I smile at him and he quickly pricks my finger and sends me and then Scarlett on our way. We make our way to the 16 year old girls section and almost as soon as we find a place to stand, Mayor Queller comes out to introduce Cecilia Pevensie, our district escort. She is in a what is normal for the capitol outfit. A short bright orange dress with layers and layers of material that make it poof out like a tutu. Of course she is completed with 5 inch heels, 20 pounds of makeup and a white curly wig that looks absolutely ridiculous. I can't help but think if she didn't wear all that makeup and let her hair down, she would be pretty. I quickly dismiss this thought when I realize she is sending someone to die. Then a huge screen comes down and plays the usual boring clip about how the Hunger Games came to be and how we will never overpower the capitol, followed by some shots from the obliterated district 13, and how we should thank them for being so generous to the districts. Thank God I live in a district where at least I know there's food compared to somewhere like 12.

She prances over to the microphone after the clip finally ends, in those heels I don't know how. "Welcome welcome district 4 to the reaping for the 53rd Hunger Games!", she shouts with an almost unnatural happiness. "I have been waiting all year to find the lucky male and female tributes that have the honor to make district 4 proud and and show your bravery!" I feel my stomach drop as I know whats coming. She walks over to a large glass ball on her left filled with paper slips of girls names, mine being in there 4 times, which makes me uneasy. "As usual ladies first", she says. She rummages around for a few seconds and finds a slip of paper. Cecelia opens the paper and clears her throat.

"Cora Lockheart!", she shouts.

_I'm frozen_. I know that I have turned white as a sheet and I find myself looking at Scarlett who can't seem to look me in the eyes. No amount of training could have prepared me for this. At this moment I decide I will play their game. I will not show the sponsors and other tributes I'm weak. I have to act like a_ career_. I force a smile as I walk up to the stage and instead of shake Cecilia's hand I reach out for hug. I can tell she's stunned but she returns it and leads me to the center of the stage. I look like I want to be here, I tell myself. "Well what a lovely lady we have this year!" and I laugh quietly to make it a joke, a game. However I refrain from looking at my parents or even looking for them because I know I will loose it.

"Now,", Cecilia says, "Do we have any volunteers for Miss Lockheart?" I'm not surprised to see no one come forward because besides me and Scarlett, no girl really showed as much skill. "No?", she asks. She waits a few more seconds and then says, "Now on to the gentlemen!" Again she sticks her hand down deep in the bowl and finds a slip of paper. "Jace Wellwood!", she shouts. I look around for who will be my fellow tribute and see a large, fit young man come up towards the stage, and he is rather handsome. Jace does the same thing I do when he walks up but he kisses Cecelia's hand instead and she swoons over him. He's got looks and the charm. I do however, feel grateful that I do not have a history with him because I will eventually have to kill him. I've seen him at school but we never spoke. When nobody volunteers for him either, Cecilia beams, "Our tributes for the 53rd Hunger Games! Cora Lockheart and Jace Wellwood!"


End file.
